Quinnipiac Bobcats (6-4-3, 4-1-1 MAAC) – 3
Monmouth Hawks (1-11-2, 1-5-1 MAAC) – 2
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Playing a man-up for the final 60 minutes, Quinnipiac needed an 82
nd minute goal to defeat the Monmouth University men's soccer team on Wednesday night, 3-2.
The Bobcats got on the board first in the 25
th minute, and a Monmouth midfielder was sent off after his second yellow card. Quinnipiac quickly made it 2-0 with another goal in the 34
th minute.
Seconds after both being subbed in, junior
Anes Mrkulic (Highlands, NJ/Gill St. Bernard's) played a ball to sophomore
Liam McGregor (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North), who dribbled the ball down the left side and blasted a goal to the upper right corner. At halftime, Monmouth cut the deficit to 2-1. The goal was McGregor's second in as many games.
In the 73
rd minute, freshman
Ben Zakowski (Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) bended a right foot free kick inside the left post to tie the game. It was Zakowski's fourth goal in his last five games.
After a corner kick, Quinnipiac made it 3-2 in the 82
nd minute, hitting the post with one shot and scoring the rebound.
Monmouth falls to 1-11-2 (1-5-1 MAAC) on the season, and will travel to Marist next Wednesday.
NOTES AND QUOTES
"I thought we had some really good moments against Quinnipiac, who is one of the the top teams in the league. We felt we should have gotten something out of the game, whether it was one point or three. The guys worked really hard in an adverse situation. They kept their cool and kept battling, so I'm proud of them."
- Monmouth head coach Robert McCourt
-Monmouth controlled the pace in the first 20 minutes, compiling six total shots.
-The Bobcats scored on their first chance of the game, gathering the ball inside the six after a blocked shot and scoring the rebound.
-After going a man-up, Quinnipiac made it 2-0 in the 34
th minute after two passes that sprung the goal scorer.
-Mrkulic won a ball in Quinnipiac's half and passed ahead to McGregor, who took the space and shot from just inside the 18. At the break, the Hawks trailed 2-1.
-Monmouth nearly tied the game in the 61
st minute, as junior
Sebastian Rodriguez's header off a corner was saved on the doorstep.
-The Hawks tied the game in the 73
rd minute. After being awarded a free kick, Zakowski bended a ball inside the left post from just outside the 18.
-After a scramble in the box, Quinnipiac was able to score the game-winner in the 82
nd minute.
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth held a 15-10 advantage in shots, including 10-5 shots on goal.
-McGregor scored his second career goal, both coming in the last two games.
-Mrkulic registered his first assist of the season and second of his career.
-Zakowski leads the team with four goals and eight points.
-Each team took four corners.
-Zakowski led the team with three shots, all on goal.
UP NEXT
After a week off, Monmouth will travel to Marist for a 7:00 PM matchup.
